


The Ancient One and the Giant

by orphan_account



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Drabble, Dragons, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-01
Updated: 2013-03-01
Packaged: 2017-12-03 23:08:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/703698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Olrun fights (see: runs from) a dragon, gets up close and personal with a giant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ancient One and the Giant

Tugging at her pack strings, Olrun dug through the pockets for a cheese wedge she’d been saving for the evening. The Challenge of Ysgramor, as she’d dully nicknamed it, had taken a hardy toll on her poor little Bosmer body and she was in desperate need of rest. It was dark, and she knew she was of the Winterhold province, but she knew not where specifically. She had come due south from Ysgramor’s tomb, eager to get back to Jorrvaskr to rest and maybe partake in a good meal and a better ale. She sat herself down beside a looming boulder, robes crumpled underneath her. They were already dampened from her travels, in between struggling through a snowstorm and mucking about underground, she wouldn’t have been adverse to a good bathing either. She didn’t mind the snow so much, though it was something that had taken her a while to get used to.

She chewed on the cheese (a little too old for her taste) and watched the tundra thoughtfully. Her heart still ached for Kodlak, whom with she’d felt her bond strengthening not days before his sudden passing. She’d quietly cursed herself nightly for not being present when the Silver Hand attacked, but he’d assured her that she had done right by him up until the very end, which while not entirely comforting, it was a good sentiment to keep in her mind. He’d also called her the Companions’ new Harbinger and she, quite frankly, hadn’t sorted that out for herself yet. 

She was mulling over the implications of his words when a low hum shook the rock sheltering her. She froze. Slowly, she replaced what was left of her wedge in her pack, and ducked her head out low, trying to catch a glimpse of something threatening over the landscape. Finding nothing, she squinted and crawled out a little farther. The earth below her feet rumbled with an unseen force and she tripped, falling hard on her elbows.

That’s when she saw him.

He was a big beautiful creature, with a wingspan of what must have been a solid eighty feet. She couldn’t make out his color in the din, but his silhouette and the fanning of his tail spoke of power. If she had to hazard a guess, she would have ventured somewhere between a Frost Dragon and a Blood Dragon, and while she desperately hoped it wasn’t the latter, she had never seen one up close. He was a fair distance off, illuminating the night with an occasional burst of energy (frost or fire? she mused).

She weighed her options. On the one hand, there was no way she would be able to take him on her own. Her supplies were sorely limited, her arrows lacking, and her magicka in a rough state. On the other, she was really, really fond of dragons despite how much they never seemed to return the feeling. In the end, of course being of sound mind on the whole, she decided to continue heading due south. She was sure it hadn’t seen her - her footsteps were muffled from a nifty little enchantment she’d picked up from the Jarl’s mage at Dragonsreach, and she had the added bonus of travelling under the cover of darkness.

She crept along the snow and the rocks, throwing careful glances over her shoulder every once in a while to make sure the dragon was still engaged with whatever poor soul it had decided to prey on. After a few minutes of sneaking and climbing, she reached a large section of boulder that intersected with the sea. Grumbling, Olrun made her way down, poking around and through cracks looking for a way to slip between the rock without getting herself cold and soaked.

A mighty roar split the sky and the vibrations nearly threw Olrun to the ground. She scrambled through the rock, disregarding her need for dryness in favor of a spot to huddle where she wouldn’t be seen. She cast anxious eyes skyward just in time to notice the shadow of a wing sailing above her, the rest of the body blocked by her hidey-hole’s natural roof. She tucked herself into a ball, wondering where she’d gone wrong. She certainly didn’t cast any spells, nor had she done anything to draw attention to herself for that matter. The roaring grew dim as it set off behind her, and she caught sight of what looked like a lean-to and a dying fire about a hundred yards off to her right. Poking her head out quickly to make sure the dragon wasn’t facing her, she made the executive decision to sprint for the shack in the desperate hope that it was a traveling hunter. They would have equipment and potions and other means of fixing this mess. She skidded on the ice and slid to a stop in front of the shack, ready to start talking quickly at whomever she might have found.

What she found instead was an empty knapsack, a pile of bones, and a letter. She ignored the latter two and dove underneath the poorly constructed wooden shelter. The roaring was growing again, and she had considerably less shelter than she had before. She drew her knees up to her chest and unconsciously tugged at the knapsack. The cold was making her jittery and it was playing viciously on her nerves. She could smell sulfur on the air (so it wasn’t a frost dragon, then) and it pricked at her nose. She had drawn her bow running but for the time being considered putting it away. Yet again she found herself hedging her bets, trying to decide whether to stay put or make a run for it. A large wall of rock caught her eye. The side she wanted was in the sea, but it was much closer to the mountains than her current position. She thought for a moment, then dove into her pack again. With one last furtive glance at the sky, she pulled out a bottle and downed the contents in one go. Pulling a face, she took off. Heartbeat pounding in her ears she worked her legs harder than she had imagined possible. Her skin tingled with the vampire dust’s effects. She almost found it hard to concentrate on running when she couldn’t even see her legs.

She almost slammed bodily into the rock when she reached it, instead opting to slide clumsily down to the water, immersing herself completely. Without thinking or seeing, she paddled in one direction trying to find something solid to gauge herself by. After touching the slimy underside of the cliff face she came up for air and choked back a freezing scream. She pulled herself to where the water was merely waist deep and hunkered down against the stone. She could feel the dragon now, every movement it made shook the ground with the intensity of a small earthquake. She silently pleaded with the Gods and at the same time cursed herself for not staying with her Companions. They would have made short work of the creature, and though she wouldn’t have been too thrilled with it, at least she would still be alive.

The cold sunk deep into her bones. The effects of the Vampire dust wore off long ago, and she could see herself turning blue with hypothermia. She entertained the notion of casting a small flame spell to ignite the meager brush for warmth, but after another miniature earthquake rocked her vision she thought better of it.

That was… really close…

 

She looked up just in time to see a face peering down at her. A silent scream bubbled up from her throat as a horrific realization broke over her mind. 

No, it wasn’t a Frost Dragon. It wasn’t even an Elder Dragon.

It was one of the Ancient Ones.

The grotesque malformation of time painted pictures across the creatures face of sordid crimes long passed. It reeked of something old and forgotten - of something that should have stayed that way. For a split second curiosity and utter terror held her in place. She made eye contact. It blinked, then relaxed its jaws into a gaping maw. Olrun screamed, hurtling herself into the snow as a white hot blast of flame bit into the rock and boiled the ocean water where she had been standing not moments before. The sound was deafening.

She hit the ground running, sprinting and weaving to avoid more fireblasts, ducking behind rock when necessary. She was so close to the mountains she could practically feel the forest welcoming her back with open arms. She all but ignored the slippery slopes of the tundra, her sense of self-preservation somehow overriding her typical clumsy footwork. With fantastic speed she threw herself up and over a small ridge, deftly navigating the crags between the twin peaks she now found herself between. She hoped that the hills were too many and the trees too thick for the dragon to find her. She found herself running at a steady incline and her vision started blurring. Without warning she came upon a drop off. Having no time to stop herself from going over, she braced herself for impact. Catching tree branches on the way down, she slammed into hard dirt with a dull thud.

She didn’t move. She didn’t want to move. Everything hurt. She was breathing too heavily to feel comfortable about it. The sounds of the dragon’s roar was still in her ears and the image of its disfigured visage was still firmly planted in her mind’s eye. So when she heard heavy grunting and the sounds of a scrap she just resigned herself to a cold, miserable death.I’m sorry, Kodlak. It hasn’t even been a day and I fear I am already the worst Harbinger to ever taint the gates of Sovengarde.

The grunting stopped short, and all was silent. Olrun felt warmth, from where she knew not, but it was enough to make her raiser her head.

She had fallen in front of the mouth of a cave.

In it, sat a giant, it’s massive club smeared with the blood of a frost troll.

She touched her forehead to dirt, praying for a swift demise.

Minutes passed, and it didn’t come. She chanced a look once more. The giant was watching her, with what looked more like curiosity than malice. A fire was roaring now inside the cave, beckoning her over with its soothing rays. She faltered, watching the giant’s movements. Slowly, she raised herself up, getting to her feet in a manner that she hoped wasn’t threatening. Still, he watched her. She was limping now, limping toward the fire, closing in but keeping her distance from the giant himself. He kept his eyes fixed on her, but made no move to attack. She fell, once, twice, three times, and resorted to crawling up beside the fire. Now there was no fear, she barely payed the giant any mind. He was still transfixed by her movements, but it seemed as though he was doing the same thing. She collapsed by the flames, letting them warm her poor broken body.

She heard movement from the giant’s side of the cave. She’d never gotten this close to one in her life, and she started vaguely wondering if she was going to regret it after all. She kept her eyes closed as she felt him walking along the fire beside her. She felt as he paused, a little away from the base of her feet. Another movement, and she felt something bump into her arm. This happened several more times, and she felt more and more piling up beside her. She was still unsure as to what he was moving, exactly, but logic dictated she wait before making any sudden movements to find out. After the last mystery item had been rolled over to her, the giant finally took his leave of the cave. Olrun opened a curious eye, watching him with his back to her as he set off for the forest. She lifted her head, and peered down by her arm. A small stockpile of meats, potions and pelts now lay at her disposal. She gaped, wondering how she’d struck out with this one. She sat bolt upright, wondering if she should call out a gesture of appreciation, or if he would even understand her if she did.

For now, she sat in silent prayer, thanking the Gods for her miraculous stumble into such good fortune. She said one as an aside to Mara in the favor of the giant that had saved her life, wishing him long life and happiness for his deed. She didn’t pretend to understand the inner machinations of a creature such as he, but now she was sure that they weren’t the mindless beasts her peers had been making them out to be.

She’d realized that she no longer heard the roaring of the dragon, deciding that it must have gotten bored with her and flown away.

Happily, she took a bite out of a venison chop, stuffing the rest of the supplies into her sack. She unrolled a bedroll and set it by the fire, deciding to take up one more night of rest before heading out toward Whiterun once more.


End file.
